Stunning Photograph Captured As Space Station Crosses Face Of The Sun

The image was taken by NASA photographer Bill Ingalls from earth when th International Space Station was traveling at five miles per second in space.

A new stunning photograph has been taken while the International Space Station flew across the sun.

At first glance, it appears that five insects are crawling in front of a giant orange ball. But in reality, it is the transit of the International Space Station (ISS) across the solar disk. The image is a composite of five frames, taken at Shenandoh National Park in Virginia on Sunday at the time when ISS sailed past the sun at 5 miles per second.

The incredible image was captured by NASA photographer Bill Ingalls who has worked att he national space agency since 1989. Capturing a photograph as Space Station passes across the sun is immensely difficult because you have to do it in the blink of an eye. ISS is on a one-year long mission in space. It's about 250 miles above the earth and is zooming around at the speed of more than 27,000 kilometers per hour.

The yearlong epic and unprecedented Space Station mission was started on March 27. NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is among the crewmembers who are currently residing the orbiting laboratory. He is almost halfway through his stay at station and has also done a trip to Mars.

“For the folks who go to Mars, especially the first time, it’s going to be such an incredible destination and event that they are going to be really psyched up for getting there,” said Kelly during an in-flight press conference on Tuesday. “I’m not saying I’m not psyched up for the rest of this. But in some ways, being half way through, a lot of what we’re going to be doing is very similar to what we’ve already done.”

This is the longest space mission ever and was aimed to open the doorway to deep space for earthlings. Three of crewmembers will return to the earth on September 12, leaving behind a usual staff of six members.